It’s time for another one of Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday prompts. This time, Jim is asking us about pets: dogs, cats, fish, and birds. For my song the week, I chose Harry Nilsson’s “Me and My Arrow,” where Arrow is the loyal dog the song’s narrator sings about.
“Me and My Arrow” was written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson for his 1970 album The Point! It was also released as a single in 1971, reaching number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Nilsson wrote this track as part of his whimsical fable The Point!, the story of a unique boy named Oblio, who is the only person with a round head in his Pointed Village, and his trusty dog, Arrow. In a period of drug-fueled creativity, Nilsson said that he came up with the idea while exploring the woods near his Laurel Canyon, California home. “I was on acid and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the little branches came to points, and the houses came to points. I thought, ‘Oh, everything has a point, and if it doesn’t, then there’s a point to it.'”
The Point! was made into a TV movie in 1971. In the original telecast, Dustin Hoffman voiced the part of the narrator/father , but the home video release featured Ringo Starr in that role. Just a couple years earlier, Hoffman starred in the acclaimed film Midnight Cowboy, which featured Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin’.”
According to Songfacts, Nilsson could well relate to being the odd man out. Part lovable drunk, part mad musical genius, no one knew what to expect from him. His “arrow” often pointed him in different directions, resulting in an eclectic mix of work that would include Beatles-inspired rock songs, heart-wrenching ballads, and goofy novelty tunes.
Here are the lyrics to “Me and My Arrow.”
Me and my arrow
Straighter than narrow
Wherever we go, everyone knows
It’s me and my arrow
Me and my arrow
Taking the high road
Wherever we go, everyone knows
It’s me and my arrow
And in the morning when I wake up
She may be gone, I don’t know
And if we make up just to break up
I’ll carry on, oh yes, I will
Me and my arrow
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, straighter than narrow
Wherever we go, every one knows
It’s me and my arrow
Me and my arrow
Me and my arrow
Me and my arrow
Me and my arrow
Me and my arrow
Me and my arrow
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, straighter than narrow
Wherever we go, every one knows
It’s me and my arrow
If you’ve never seen The Point!, and have about an hour and 15 minutes to spare, I suggest that you take that time to watch the whole thing. I think you’ll enjoy it.
This entire album was a huge favorite of mine. Of course I always loved Nilsson and this was no different for me. I love the story. Great flashback memory for me. Thank you for featuring it today.
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I saw the original TV movie and then went out and bought the album.
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Mine happened the other way around.
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What a sweet story! I know the song but did not know the backstory. Thanks for a delightful share ☺️
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You’re very welcome, Christine.
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I think that just about everybody who lived in Laurel Canyon, California was on acid. I had no idea about the movie and I may stop back later to watch it.
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I remember watching it when it first came out and then I ran out and bought the album.
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I heard this song on the radio recently and remember how much I loved it when it was popular! And I remember the purple ‘bully’ in the movie, although I don’t remember seeing that. Point to it? A good thing perhaps (unless you’ve got a round head I guess…>)
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The artist colony … did their part to keep minds and souls filled with new points to view.
🙂 I like that.
And what a pleasant story, inexplicably peaceful even when things were going wrong.
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I absolutely love The Point. All the songs and story are fab.
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Agreed!
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This is one I hadn’t heard before. When I get time I will see about watching the movie. Thanks for sharing it Fandango!
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I hope you enjoy it if you watch it.
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